Perfect Scars

4. The photo

Violet

That day, after all three of them left, I returned to the same room and sat still for many hours, until my back started to ache. I didn't have anything to do except cry at my fate. I was stuck in the house full of gangsters, with no way to escape and nobody to cry for me after my death.

At almost 3 in the afternoon, I stood up and stretched my limbs. Even my tears had dried up by now so I couldn't even cry. Splashing some water on my face, I dried it with a towel and started searching the cupboard for something to help me, hopefully a phone.

Though I didn't find anything that could help me fight these men or escape this mansion, I found a book. The title was "1776" by David McCullough and by its cover, it looked quite interesting.

I was exhausted by the constant onslaught of terrifying scenarios in my mind so reading seemed like a good idea to me. Besides, if I was going to get killed tonight, why not spend the day doing something I loved? Sighing in defeat, I plopped down on the bed and lost myself in the book for the next few hours.

Just as I was about to read the last page of the book, the light suddenly went off, leaving the room in utter darkness. A loud shriek left my mouth before I could stop, the fear slowly started creeping back into my mind.

There was a large collection of candles and emergency lights in my nightstand in my own apartment. But as I was new here, I couldn't find any emergency light.

Carefully taking every step, I walked out of the room and reached the hallway. It was dark everywhere--- soul-sucking darkness, ready to eat me alive. I shivered partly due to cold and partly due to my anxiety kicking in.

When my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, I started taking small steps to the other side of the hallway. My feet stopped when I noticed a door at the other end of the hallway. Hoping to find a candle or emergency light inside, I opened the door and sauntered inside.

The room looked like it hadn't been used for many years. Moonlight from a window brightened the room. The furniture looked old and rusty, with dust covering the bedsheets and sofa covers.

A photo frame on the wall beside the bed caught my attention. I squinted my eyes to see the photo in the dark.

There was a woman in the photo. Not just any woman, but the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had chestnut color hair and pastel white skin which made her green eyes stand out. Her lips looked like rose petals and her slender nose gave her a royal look. She was wearing a black party gown that hugged her body like a second skin.

There was something about that woman that looked familiar but I couldn't figure out what.

Just as I reached out to touch the picture, a hand tightened around my waist, turning me around harshly. Clenching my eyes shut, I gasped in fear.

As I opened my eyes, a familiar pair of gorgeous grey eyes greeted me. The eyes of the person who saved me that day from that man with piercings. My breath hitched as I noticed the fire burning in his eyes. Lowering my eyes, I looked at his captivating lips and sharp jaw which was clenched tightly. His expressions were clearly showing his displeasure and rage, which made my hair stand on end.

"Wh... who are you?" I asked, stuttering, but he didn't reply; instead, his hold on my waist tightened.

"What are you doing in this room?" he asked in a cold, emotionless voice and I gulped in fear.

"I was just looking for an emergency light." I finally managed to talk like a normal person.

"Get out," he growled, clenching his jaw even harder. His eyes were looking deep into mine, as if stripping my soul.

"But I---"

"GET OUT." He fumed with anger, leaving no room for discussion.

Moving out of his hold, I dashed back to my room, not caring for the blinding darkness. Locking the door, I slouched down on the bed, heaving a sigh of relief.

***

It took me an hour to calm down my erratic heartbeat. Something about that man scared me to my wits. He looked dangerous enough to kill me without giving it a second thought. Even though his face was one of the most beautiful faces I have ever seen, the air around him made me tremble.

I was still thinking about the same man when a knock on the door caused me to shift in my seat. I pulled the blanket to my chin, hiding the rest of my shivering body from Daniel who had barged inside my room and was now striding towards me.

"Come on," he said, holding his hand out for me. "King wants to meet you."

With wide eyes, I looked between his face and his hand. I could see my doom flashing in front of my eyes. The thought of meeting Hayden King, the man who had killed many famous people in our town, was enough to make me quiver.

"Pl... please. I don't want to meet him," I begged, hugging myself.

"He just wants to talk to you Violet," Daniel said, once again stepping closer to me and I retreated a little. He  tensed at my movement but I couldn't help but stay away.

"Please," I requested again. "He will kill me. Don't take me to him."

"He won't," Daniel said, slouching beside me. "Trust me when I say this Violet. We don't hurt innocents." His eyes were kind and gentle, so as much as I wanted to look away, I couldn't.

"Why should I trust your words?" I asked, waiting for him to finally snap at me.

"Because I don't have a reason to lie. If we really wanted to hurt you, we would have killed you the minute we found out that you weren't Cole's daughter," he said, and something in his voice urged me to believe him.

I nodded after pondering over his words for a moment and then, gripping his hand, hopped out of the bed. Daniel led the way and I followed him with small steps. He took me to the living room where Caleb and Alessandro were sitting on opposite sides of the couch and in between them was the same man that I met earlier.

Oh God! This is Hayden King and I already pissed him off.

"Sit down," his voice boomed in the living room and my knees turned to jelly. Casting a saddened gaze towards Daniel, I sat down on the mahogany chair in front of the couch. The whole time I kept my eyes on the floor, not wanting to look into his hypnotizing eyes.

"Are the police looking for this girl Alessandro?" his voice rose in the silence and I felt his gaze on me.

"No King," Alessandro answered, his voice less loud than him.

"As expected," he said and stood up. When he took a step towards me, my eyes shot towards his face in tension. If I weren't caught between life and death, I would have surely drooled over how perfectly tanned his skin was.

"Keep her here for a few days until I make sure it is safe to let her go." he said, lowering his eyes to me. My face contorted at his words.

"Please let me go. I won't... I won't tell anyone about anything. Please. I swear I won't talk about this kidnapping ever again." I said, tears trailing down my cheeks.

Without saying anything, he kneeled down and placed both his arms on my sides, caging me in. His eyes bore into mine, causing my heart to skip some beats and my lungs to stop working.

"You aren't going anywhere. Not until I allow you to," he said, his breath blowing on my forehead. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I even wanted to push him away but his gaze held me static.

"Keep your eyes on her," he said to no one in particular. After he stormed out followed by Alessandro, both Caleb and Daniel looked at me with pitiful eyes and led me back to the same room.

"We'll try to talk to King. Don't worry," Daniel said before leaving but I didn't reply. Instead, I just hugged my knees and hid my face in between.

That night, I cried until my eyes turned bloodshot and my breaths turned harsh and ragged. I didn't even know if I actually slept or passed out because of all the crying.

......................................